The Darkness That Lies In a Heart
by Riakui
Summary: Karax's story! The Second edition! YAY!


First and foremost, the name's Karla. Get it through your head, okay?

------------ DAY 762 of my life as a scientist

It was cold and snowing. Winter had officially arrived, and it wasn't the nicest arrival. At least it was nice in the labs. Ansem had asked me to file a large stack of papers, and then run the data checks. Neither of them were fun, but I had enlisted Ienzo's help. Thankfully, he was nice enough to help.

"Where did he want these?" He turned to me with a large stack of papers and three file in his arms.

"Hm? Oh those? He said something about the conference room...? I don't know. I'll take them later. You should go." I smiled at him, but he just stared. "Thanks for the help, though. You saved me a few hours."

"You sure?"

I nodded and filed three more folders. The pile was down to about a quarter now, seeing as how the two of us had been at it for five hours... "Hey Ienzo?" He stopped in the doorway. "Thanks." He didn't say anything. He actually scowled. It didn't surprise me though. He always was quiet and didn't express his emotions that well.

"You've done a great job." The voice was loud and deep. "You should be getting home. It's getting colder."

I spun around, seeing Ansem behind me. "Lord Ansem!" I didn't expect to see him at this time of day. It was only two in the afternoon. "I'm almost done. Give me another hour and I'll finish, I promise!" He watched as I filed another pile of papers. "Where does this one go...?"

"Perhaps I should send the new girl to help you... You seem rushed." His hands were behind his back. A serene expression that was mixed with fear crossed his face. "If Samantha was down here helping you, you'd get done faster, and you would be able to get home sooner."

"What!?" Samantha... She was around the age of 20, and had reddish, brown hair that went down to her shoulders. I don't normally judge people based on their appearance, but there was something about her that was eerie...creepy... "I'll be fine, sir. Just give me some time, alright? I'll be done by four." No matter what it took, I wouldn't work with her. Ever.

"If you're sure... I'll send Xehenort down to check on your progress in half an hour. Don't work yourself to death." He left me alone to my work.

The silence was enjoyable. I was tired. I didn't want to work, and I didn't want to stay, but I had a job to do, and it needed to be done. As soon as I slammed the filing cabinet closed, Xehenort walked in. "I was starting to wonder when you'd get down here."

"Looks like you're finished."

"Really? What gave you that idea?" I grabbed a binder and two folders, and put them in my bag. "Look... I'm heading home. See you tomorrow..." I brushed past him, and he was speechless. We never did really get along, even if we were working on a project together. Ansem may have taken him in and saved him from death, but that didn't mean that I had to like him... Right?

I put on my jacket, realizing it was colder than I thought it would be. Waiting for me outside was Ienzo, and yes, I was surprised to see him. He was the kind of person who didn't really care about other people. Maybe I had been wrong.

"How long have you been waiting out here? You must be freezing."

"I heard you were heading home. Wanna go for some coffee first?"

I didn't exactly know what to say, so I went along with him. The soft snow was still falling, and the sky had an eerie reddish-purple tinge to it. The coffee was warm, but it barely scratched my icy heart. "What's this all about, anyways?" He didn't answer, and just kept walking. In one of the parks, we decided to take a break and just chat. "What about the new girl? What do you think about her?"

"She's seems nice enough... Why?" His head was tilted and he was looking into my eyes.

"Just curious..."

"You?"

"I don't know what to think." That was a lie. I hated her. I hated her with all my heart. I didn't want to hear her voice; I didn't want to look at her... She meant nothing to me. Only another distraction. This is the truth. "She seems... Something isn't right about her. She doesn't really know anything about any of the current projects; she doesn't know what we've accomplished in the past two years... Are you sure she isn't just a test subject for one of Xehenort's experiments?" Ienzo laughed, which was rare. He almost never laughed at anything. "Something funny?"

"Nah!" He was still laughing. "She isn't a test subject; she's a new apprentice under Xehenort's watch. You don't like her, do you?"

"What gave you that idea?" I laughed and tossed away the paper cup of coffee. "Anyways... Do you think it's strange?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think that the nine of us (Ansem/ Xehenort/ Braig/ Dilan/ Even/ Elaeus/ Ienzo/ Karla/ Samantha) are getting into something that we shouldn't be? It feels wrong to be digging around people's hearts in search of what really lies within. I feel as though I'm about to fall off of the edge, fade away forever." This was the truth. Maybe I had made a mistake when I chose to take a part in Ansem's research when I was 15... Today, I'm seventeen, and I still don't know wrong from right. God help me!

"I don't think that you're the only one like that. Every now and then, I hear Even talking to himself. He keeps saying that darkness will consume him, or something. I get the feeling every now and then." He threw away the paper cup and stood. "We should probably get home. It's getting late, and colder. Walk you home?"

I nodded. Knowing I wasn't the only one who felt like they were going over the edge... I gave me peace. It was good to know.

------------ DAY 763 of my life as a scientist

It was freezing cold and snowing outside, while things were quiet in the labs, but about halfway through the day, it happened. Ansem had started to yell at Xehenort. It was all that could be heard throughout the halls of the castle. Once things became quiet again, Xehenort had gathered us in one room.

"Lord Ansem has stopped the research. We're to destroy any data that had been written." Voices of opposition rose, including my own. I didn't want to throw everything away, but I didn't want to keep it either. Getting rid of it would mean getting rid of the bad feeling that possessed me. "I personally want to continue, in secret, however. I ask you all for your help."

The first one to reply was Samantha (of course... S.J.!!!), followed by the others. I didn't want to continue, but I felt obligated to. "I suppose..."

"Yes or no?" His voice was filled with force. Ienzo was glaring at me with his deep, meaningful eyes.

"Fine. I'll continue, but only if I don't end up having to work alongside HER at any time." I glared at Sam, and she glared back. "Do we have a deal? You know you need my knowledge."

"Very well. We resume our research tomorrow."

------------ DAY 777 of my life as a scientist

Two weeks had gone by. Fast, too. We were getting nowhere, and what was worse was that Braig, Dilan, Even, Elaeus, and Ienzo had disappeared. Who knew what they were doing? My best guess: getting totally shitfaced from drinking too much beer. I was left to work with Samantha and Xehenort, but they had disappeared too. Where to? I didn't know, and would most likely never know. On the other hand, my personal research was coming along quite well (I always have worked better with silence by my side).

There was a knocking on the door, which scared me. It was Xehenort. "Sorry, but I need your hel--"

"I know what you want." I sighed. "How much pain am I going to have to suffer through this time?" Last time, he started acupuncture (I don't know how to spell it!)-type procedure. I still have the marks where some of the needles pierced my skin.

"None, hopefully. If everything goes well, we'll have finally proven that a heart can be taken apart and put back together." He had a pleased look on his face. "Please Karla? I know that we haven't gotten along that well over the course of two and a quarter years, but I need this."

"STOP WHINNING!!! GOD!" I wanted to stab him with all sorts of tiny little needles, but instead, I sighed again. "Look, let's just get this over with so that I don't have to listen to you for much longer!"

As soon as we were in his lab, every little crevasse of light in my heart faded. The room was just about pitch black, and a heavy feeling of despair came over me. Something terrible had happened in here, and that same terrible thing was about to happen to me. I wanted to back out, but it was too late. I was already strapped to the table. What would I have been able to do right? This was the course that Fate had led out for me, and I had no choice but to follow it.

"Karla? Are you ready?"

"Let's just get this over with..." A machine above my heart was charging up, and a soft bluish light illuminated the room. Nothing much happened besides that, and then it happened. The rumbling of the machine became louder instantly, and a terrible pain seared through my body. As I tried to scream, my eyes opened. What I saw was myself walking over a cliff, falling from light into the darkness. It soon became quiet and dark. Nothing was painful. Strangely, we felt relieved. Both of us were free, at long last.

"Karla?" Xehenort was coughing in the background. "Are you ok? Kar--!" I was holding him against a wall by his neck. He was nearly gasping for air. His voice was squeaky and high-pitched. "Karla!?"

"You know, I should be thanking you. After all of the research you've done, you deserve a reward. My name isn't Karla, it's Karax. Get it through your thick skull, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. You've set me free, but I didn't want this. Someday, once I realize my full potential...I'll be back. I'll be back to make you feel the pain you've put me through. Who knows? Maybe someday, I'll be whole again." I released him, and he fell to the ground on his knees. "Xehenort, give a message to Samantha for me." He was coughing, giving me a pained look. "Tell her that her time is up." My back was facing him, and he said nothing. "See you 'round." I left him alone, vanishing in a gust of wind.

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I personally believe that this version of The Darkness That Lies In A heart is much better than the first. If you never got a chance to read the first version, sorry. I deleted it off of both comps, so, you're just gonna have to do without. It followed the same storyline, but it was written pretty damn crappily. I'm proud of this re write! If you aren't... ... ... ... SCREW YOU!!!

If you can't compare it, ignore the last two words of the previous sentence. Until my next fic or update, PEACE!!

THE RE-WRITE IS COMPLETE!!! YAY!! GO ME! WHOO HOO!!! YEAH!! HAPPY S.J.!!? I FINISHED IT, SO LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

Also, don't forget to read my other fics!! I thank you for taking the time to read this!!! If you can, please review! I always take a suggestion into account! See ya!!


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